Friday, January 27, 2017

Coastal Mist Blog Hop & Giveaways



Coastal Mist Blog Hop & Giveaways

Last summer Tammy Silvers at Tamarinis blog asked if I would like to make a project for Island Batik using their new Coastal Mist line. Surely, I did, and set to work to design something to showcase its wide range.





Fly Agaric: 'Magic' Mushroom

My passion at the moment was mushrooms as they were popping up all over a wet Ohio, and this amanita muscaria or Fly Agaric was populating our own yard. The European version is the typical red mushroom with white dots so often popularized in children's books, but the North American 'twin' is yellow with white dots. Fly Agaric has an interesting history and background, and is known for its hallucinogenic properties. I could imagine how it developed its reputation as a Magic Mushroom. It was fascinating as it grew and changed shape, and I knew would make a delightful art quilt with the batiks she was promoting. 




I Set Out to Create Some Magic!

The background was free cut, and improvisationally pieced to give it an organic, natural feel. Using your black and white filter is an easy way to check your value placements.



Applique Trimmed Out with Perle 
Cotton Thread

Nifty Trick: Raw edge applique with button hole stitching was made easier by first stitching with my sewing machine needle only (no thread) then using the pre-made holes to stitch through. Any kind of stabilizer or iron on adhesive makes handstitching a nightmare.




Even a small quilt like this benefits from multiple layers of stitching. I popped it into my longarm, and with a violet thread above...


 

...and aqua thread below.


After the machine stitching came more Perle Cotton worked throughout the background to give it more texture and depth. This kind of stitching is theraputic!



The grass was stitched down with invisible thread. Aurifil's Invisible Monofiliment is my all time favorite, and also a sponsor of this blog hop.


And last of all came beads to give it sparkle. Beading is one case where some is good, and more is better, but it's hard to tell where you should stop. 


Some sweet French knots finished it off.


The backing shows off the variations well.



Thank you to Island Batiks and Tammy for the opportunity to work with this lovely fabric, and now it's your turn to have a chance at some prizes. Use the Rafflecopter below for both giveaways and prizes through the hop. The list of all participants is below, and we hope you visit each one to see the wide range of projects for Island Batiks.

The Coastal Mist Blog Hop Schedule

1/23/17 Tammy Silver @Tamarinis
1/24/17 Jessica Stewart @Izzy & Ivy Designs
1/25/17 Susan Emory @Swirly Girl Designs
1/26/17 Connie Kresin Campbell @Freemotion by the River
1/27/17 Katie Laughridge @Live Originally
1/28//17 Julie Stocker @Pink Doxies
1/29/17 Linda Pearl @One Quilting Circle
1/30/17 Laura Conowitch @LC's Cottage
1/31/17 Cheryl Schenck @Unspooled
2/1/17 Marian Pena @Seams to Be Sew
2/2/17 Vanessa Fromm @Fabric Confetti
2/3/17 Ebony Love @Love Bug Studio
2/4/17 Erin Sampson @Aurifil




a Rafflecopter giveaway


15 comments:

Danice G said...

Oh what a pretty quilt. I love Island Batiks :)

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Beautiful quilt Julie and what a neat mushroom! Thanks so much for sharing.

Kate said...

Congrats on a beautiful quilt. Love all the different elements you used.

Anna brown said...

Love it but at first glance I thought it was a bird bath..But I see it a mushroom. .. ty for sharing. . happyness04431@yahoo.com

LInda Pearl said...

Hi Julie...I love what you did with the quilt background...It's something very unusual and really makes the mushroom pop. Thanks for sharing.

Judi Duncan said...

I love your idea of pre making holes for hand stitching....it's pure genius!

Stitchin At Home said...

Ohh Julie this is pretty! I love your interpretation of the mushroom and the improv background. The quilting takes the piece over the top. Well done!

Barb Neiwert said...

This is a very pretty quilt - nice job! I'll bet it was difficult to wait this long to share it :)

Lori said...

wow this is really lovely. you are a very creative lady. thanks for inspiring and sharing.

Laura said...

What fun to learn something new! I have never seen this mushroom, and I really enjoyed learning about it! Love the applique tip, too!

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

You did a great job recreating the mushroom. All the little added touches just add a little something to the piece.

Rachell said...

that's definitely very creative and unusual. i love the aqua thread, perlr cotton stitching, and the backing fabric. I don't know if i'd be brave like you, to use beading--but it really enhances the mmushroom's look.
reillyr2(at)hotmail(dot)com

Sandra Walker said...

SO beautiful a creation you did! I'd forgotten about this gem, and it's lovely to see her again! The beading you did is just the perfect addition. :-)

Katie @ LiveOriginally said...

Awesome! I especially love that beading!

Marian said...

This is such a great project. I stopped in the other day, and wondered if my comment showed up, but I can see it didn't, I was having troubles that day with the browser, so wanted to stop back. This is a wonderful project, I really love it, and how you did it, the mushroom fountain is so cool, along with the beading. I liked the chopped background and just the overall look of the project.